“The New Jersey State Senate should confirm Gov. Chris Christie’s current nominee to the state Supreme Court, Chatham Borough Mayor Bruce Harris. …

“Granted that the court needs to be fairly representative of the people in this state and that Harris’ appointment would contribute to that diversity. But Harris brings more to the court than his personal history and his Yale law degree. He’s a mayor — a municipal official with eight years’ prior experience on Chatham borough council. Given the extraordinary number of controversial issues concerning municipal governance in New Jersey … and given the fact that nearly 20,000 of our fellow citizens also hold municipal office in this state, Harris’ tenure in Chatham Borough is highly relevant.

“Those who oppose his nomination argue, among other things, that Harris has never served as a judge in a lower court. The state constitution does not require such service of its Supreme Court justices, nor should the state Senate. …

“If Harris withstands routine questioning from the Judiciary committee, he should be confirmed by the full Senate right away.”